Green Day’s American Idiot was created by Billie Joe Armstrong from the pop punk group Green Day and was based off the band’s albums American Idiot and 21st Century Breakdown. Since Armstrong is not known for being part of the musical theatre scene, it was a surprise to find out in 2010 that he was releasing a musical on Broadway. What wasn’t surprising was the tone and message coming out of the musical. It was textbook Green Day –punk rock with polish. American Idiot (the album) was released during the time of the George W. Bush administration, so some of the play’s politics are anchored to that time frame. Still Director Tim Espinosa made sure to keep this version more current and committed to the musical’s rebellious spirit: taking jabs at Trump, Islamophobia, xenophobia and much more. The theatrics and music in the show are quite overwhelming, but the stage is a treat to behold. The story on the other hand feels rather weak and –when compared with the other outside theatrics –make the show feel imbalanced at times.Continue Reading

1913, Leo Frank, a Brooklyn-raised Jew living in Georgia, is put on trial for the murder of 13-year-old Mary Phagan, a factory worker under his employ. Already guilty in the eyes of everyone around him, a sensationalist publisher and a janitor’s false testimony seal Leo’s fate. His only defenders are a governor with a conscience, and, eventually, his assimilated Southern wife who finds the strength and love to become his greatest champion. Parade is filled with soaring music and a heart-wrenching story, offering a moral lesson about the dangers of prejudice and ignorance that should not be forgotten. Groups looking for powerful, moving theatrical experiences will need to look no further than this unforgettable show. Taken from Website

The Fairy Hoax, a magical musical for the whole family, is a coming-of-age story about Dulcie, a thirteen-year-old girl in Yorkshire, England, who fakes photographs of fairies in order to save her relationship with her emotionally distant mother, a relationship which has been torn apart by the First World War. With the help of Francis, an eccentric male friend, Dulcie manages to create a series of photographs that not only cheer up her mother, but also enchant a nation. With the help of The Strand magazine, the children’s celebrity around the faked photos goes too far as Dulcie’s life becomes unbearable watching her mother go “round the bend.” And when she feels betrayed by her eccentric friend, Dulcie decides to stop all talk of fairies and give up her celebrity status in order to preserve what’s left of her family and her dignity.Continue Reading

Last night I went to see Fullerton College’s production of Federico Garcia Lorca’s Blood Wedding. Lorca’s tragic tale of an ill-fated wedding got its inspiration from gruesome newspaper clippings from southern Spain, and we are led to believe Blood Wedding occurs in a similar location. We in the audience are transported to another time, place, and culture through the use of dual-language storytelling techniques. The back and forth dialogue of Spanish and English is entertaining and effective in telling a story that is, while occasionally confusing, ultimately enjoyable.Continue Reading